Parking Lot Barriers & Entrance Gates
HERMEQ supplies parking lot barriers and entrance gates for controlling vehicle access at parking lots, business parks, depots, construction compounds and municipal sites. The range covers manual and automatic raise arm barriers, steel swing gates and swing arm gates, automatic swing gates, bi-folding speed gates and portable vehicle gates for temporary entrances.
The barriers and gates are built from galvanized or powder coated steel and aluminum for year-round outdoor service. Manual arms lock in position without a power supply, and the automatic barriers and gates run on programmable controllers.
Types of parking lot barriers and gates
The range divides into barrier arms, which pivot upward to let a vehicle through, and gates, which close the whole opening, and the right type depends on traffic volume, power at the entrance and whether people must be kept out as well as vehicles.
Manual raise arm barriers
A manual raise arm barrier is a counterbalanced arm on a steel pedestal that is lifted by hand, with no power supply or wiring at the entrance. It suits industrial lots, private access roads and construction entrances where an attendant or site staff open the barrier for each vehicle. For truck entrances and wide shared access routes there is a heavy duty manual barrier arm, and the gas-assisted rising arm barrier uses a gas strut for an easier lift and bolts down quickly at remote and overflow lots.
Automatic boom barrier gates
An automatic boom barrier gate raises its arm by motor for each authorized vehicle. It is the standard type at private lots, business parks, toll points and service roads, where vehicles arrive throughout the day and nobody is stationed at the entrance to lift an arm by hand.
Manual swing gates and swing arm gates
A manual swing gate hangs on a post and swings across the entrance, with no motor, wiring or ground track. The steel swing gate for parking lots is a galvanized rectangular frame for warehouse lanes, service yards and lot entrances that stay shut for long periods. The swing arm access gate is a single steel arm for service and utility roads, fleet yards and contractor staging zones, where traffic is light and the site is often unmanned.
Automatic swing gates
The automatic 180 degree swing gate is a motorized steel gate that opens through a half circle, giving large vehicles the full width of the opening. It belongs at depots, gated business parks and city infrastructure sites that need a full-height closure opened automatically for authorized vehicles.
Bi-folding speed gates
A bi-folding gate folds its leaves inward on themselves as it opens, which makes it fast to cycle and needs less room than a swing gate, and it runs without ground rails, so trucks cross an opening with no track in it. The bi-folding speed gates are built for high-cycle entries at distribution centers, logistics hubs and government sites, and the automatic bi-folding gate closes commercial yards and secure site entrances that need a fast, full-height gate.
Portable vehicle gates for temporary entrances
The portable vehicle gate is a freestanding steel gate on castors that closes a gap in a line of plastic road barricades on a jobsite or work zone. It stops vehicles and pedestrians alike and moves with the entrance as the work progresses. A fixed entrance to a lot or compound takes a barrier or gate anchored to the ground instead.
Manual or automatic boom barrier gates
Manual is right where the entrance has no power, traffic is light or the site stands unmanned for long periods, and automatic is right where vehicles pass all day and authorized drivers must get in without anyone opening the barrier for them. Manual raise arm barriers, swing gates and swing arm gates need no electrical supply and no wiring, so they go in quickly at remote lots, construction compounds, municipal yards and service roads, and they are locked down when the site closes for the night or the weekend.
Automatic boom barriers, swing gates and bi-folding gates need a power supply and open on a credential such as a fob, token, proximity card, keypad code, intercom call or timer, depending on the model. The automatic boom barrier comes with pre-wired safety loop detectors that sense a vehicle in the lane, and its programmable controller sets how the arm behaves.
Entrance barriers for business parks and event lots
Commercial parking lots and business parks
Staff and visitor lots see steady traffic and rarely have an attendant, so the entrance usually takes an automatic barrier that authorized drivers open themselves, often with separate entry and exit lanes. Barriers that protect bays, walkways and buildings inside the lot are in the parking and security barriers range.
Event venues and overflow lots
Event and seasonal lots open for a few days at a time, so the barrier has to go in fast and run without power. The gas-assisted rising arm barrier is made for these lots, and the approach can be lined with water filled barriers and other traffic management equipment to bring vehicles to the entrance in a single line.
Sizing a barrier gate to the entrance
Width of the opening
Measure the full width that has to be closed, including shoulders and curb returns a driver could steer around. Raise arm barriers in the range span up to 29.5 ft on a single arm, and the trackless bi-folding gates close openings up to 32.8 ft.
Space and clearance at the entrance
Manual swing gates and swing arm gates cover roughly 10 to 20 ft, and each needs a clear arc of the same length on the side it opens to, free of parked vehicles, slopes, curbs and plowed snow. Where the approach is tight or the gate cannot swing toward the road, a bi-folding gate folds inward within a short distance of its posts. A raise arm barrier needs overhead room for the raised arm, so check for canopies, signs and overhead lines before choosing a location. Where the concern is the height of vehicles entering a covered structure, height restriction barriers are the product for the job.
Vehicles only, or vehicles and pedestrians
A raise arm barrier controls and signals vehicle flow, but the opening beside and beneath the arm stays passable on foot. Where people must be kept out as well, choose a type that closes the full opening: a swing gate, an automatic swing gate, a bi-folding speed gate or the portable vehicle gate. A raise arm entrance can also be paired with a pedestrian gate or a turnstile beside it.
Pedestrian gates, turnstiles and key switch controls
Pedestrian gates
The pedestrian gate is a tall gate with an anti-climb panel that connects into a line of plastic road barriers, giving workers a separate walking entrance beside the vehicle gate on a jobsite or roadwork.
Full height turnstiles
A full height turnstile admits one person at a time and blocks climbing over and tailgating, and it is used at compounds, logistics facilities and stadiums.
Key switches for override and lockout
A 3-position key switch fitted at the gate or in a control panel lets a supervisor set an automatic barrier or gate to on, off or automatic, override it or lock it out.
Popular Categories
Road Barricades
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Water Filled Barriers
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Traffic Cones
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Frequently Asked Questions
A barrier with a pivoting arm is called a boom barrier, boom gate, barrier arm, gate arm, raise arm or rising arm barrier, or simply a barrier gate. Boom is an old word for a long pole or spar, which is why the arm is called a boom. Barriers that close the whole opening are usually called gates, such as swing gates, bi-folding gates and speed gates.
Yes. The standard and heavy duty manual raise arm barriers take a skirt, a hanging section fitted beneath the arm that closes much of the space between the pole and the ground. A skirted arm spans less than a plain pole on the same model, so allow for this when measuring the opening.
The manual raise arm barriers lock in both the raised and lowered positions with a padlock, and the arm sits on a lockable end rest when closed. The swing arm access gate takes a latch post that locks it in either the open or the closed position.
Manual raise arm barriers bolt to a concrete base through the pedestal and are supplied with the fixings for both the pedestal and the end rest. The steel swing gate hangs on posts set in concrete.
Raise arm barriers are supplied in red and white or yellow and black, depending on the model and size. The standard manual arm is finished in high-visibility vinyl tape, and custom colors are available on request to match a site's branding.